


Sometimes Being Clumsy Isn't So Bad

by caprithebunny



Series: Steel/Sidestep Fanfics [1]
Category: Fallen Hero Series - Malin Rydén, Fallen Hero: Rebirth (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Handholding, Other, Safe For Work, chen pls, what a kinky bastard i be right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 06:28:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17934557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caprithebunny/pseuds/caprithebunny
Summary: Sidestep meets up with Steel at the dog park for some time chasing Spoon, and they have a moment together.Warning, this has spoilers for Fallen Hero:Retribution!





	Sometimes Being Clumsy Isn't So Bad

The air comes short in your chest as you chase after Spoon, cursing just how accurate Chen’s description of “sprinter” is. Chen. When did you start calling him that? 

 

Suddenly, you’re flat on your face, your left ankle smarting from your fall. The short moment your mind became unfocused on your chase caused you to trip over a knotted tree root you didn’t see. You press your hands into the soft grass and go to push yourself up, but you’re interrupted by two large hands wrapping around your upper arms and carefully hauling you into a sitting position. Only, the pull is too hard, and you end up with a knee in your back and a hard chest against your head. You wince as the smell of cut grass fully catches up to your nose and as your back and head give a sharp twist of pain. 

 

“Damn it, are you alright?” Chen’s voice is in your ear, his hands still holding you steady. When you turn your head to look over your shoulder, you can feel your face heat up with how close his is to yours. He notices and releases your arms, but his synthetic hands still hover near your shoulders as if ready to steady you. 

 

“I-I’m fine. Damned tree root got me.” You look away, peering at the tree root in question, silently hoping that whatever higher power that feels like helping will take the colour in your face away. 

 

“You should be more careful next time.” His words are soft, lacking any bite. He stands up from his kneeling stance behind you with a soft groan as his back pops. When you go to stumble up, he catches your forearm, helping steady you. Recently, he’d started being more like…  _ this _ . Touchy. As you turn, you reach out curiously, brushing the surface of his mind. His worry is still there, along with the sudden fear he’d had when you fell. Some relief coming into place at you being okay. You get drawn from his mind by Spoon licking your hand, gently nipping at your fingertips. 

 

“Sorry. When did you become such a worry wart, anyway?” You joke as you start scratching behind the dog’s ears and around his neck. You hear something like a dismissive snort, then heavy footsteps as Chen nears you again. 

 

“I’m not a worry wart, I’m-”

 

“A worrying gussy?” You can’t hide your smile this time, and you can hear in his mind when he sees it, bringing a wave of happiness mixing with his annoyance. To tease him further, you look up at him from your hunched position with an eyebrow raised and lips curling into an almost wicked grin. He shakes his head, rolling his eyes, and jogs back over to the bench you’d both met at earlier to grab Spoon’s leash and Chen’s jacket.

  
  


~~

 

About five minutes later, you and Chen are walking along the concrete sidewalk towards his apartment. Since you had to go this way anyway, to check in on a certain contact, you’d offered to walk with him, and to your surprise, he had agreed. Yet, you both went silent as you walked side by side, your near soundless steps matching with his louder, almost clunky ones. Out of the corner of your eye, you look at him, one arm cradling Spoon, the other hanging loosely by his side, almost as though daring you to take it.

 

You scan his mind, seeing if there’s anything hinting at that, but find nothing; just his thoughts concerning the uncomfortable silence. Without thinking further, your hand moves faster than your brain can process, and softly entwines with his. A set of icy claws drag through your stomach as your anxiety hits, so you look away, fear trying to cloud your mind, worrying that he’ll pull away, that things will go silent between you, and that makes your chest squeeze as though it’s in a vice. 

 

But he doesn’t pull away. Instead, his oddly smooth, cool hand pulls yours closer, and when you look again, a soft hint of red is beginning to creep up his neck and into his cheeks. 


End file.
